The present invention relates to spur assemblies for use primarily but not exclusively in the control of horses.
Spur assemblies commonly comprise a spur body for attaching the assembly to a shoe or boot of the rider and a spur bit attached to the spur body, which spur bit is the part of the spur used to control the horse.
A traditional spur body comprises a generally U-shaped configuration which fits around the heel of the riders boot. Each arm of the body has a cut out section at the end thereof through which a strap, generally leather or nylon is fed. The strap can be fastened around the foot section of the boot, thus providing a means of removably attaching the spur to the boot. The traditional spur body further comprises a projection extending perpendicularly from the middle of the outer surface of the curved section of the spur body. This projection generally accommodates the spur bit in some manner. Usually, the spur bit is fixedly attached to the spur body.
German Offenlegungschrift number DE 2,840,821 discloses various means of attaching spur bits to the projection of a traditional spur body. In one embodiment, serrated surfaces on the spur bit and the interior of a cavity of the projection interlock to attach the spur bit to the spur body and prevent accidental removal of the spur bit. A longitudinal cut away section of the shank of the spur bit in the region of the serrations allows for removal of the spur bit from the spur body by squeezing opposite sides of the shank together such as to close the cut away section and thus release the interlocked serrations.
Another embodiment of DE 2,840,821 comprises a spur bit having a shank which can be screwed into a cavity of the projection of the spur body and is thus removably attached to the spur body. A further embodiment comprises a plate which wraps around the outer surface of the projection of the spur body and is rotatably mounted on the projection. The plate comprises a pin which when the spur bit is located in the cavity of the projection extends through the projection and through the shank of the spur bit to removably attach the spur bit to the spur body.
French patent application number 2,633,494 discloses a traditional spur body wherein the shank of the spur bit comprises a hole which, when the shank is located in the cavity of the projection, corresponds with a hole in the projection. A plate is applied to the outer surface of the projection, which plate comprises a pin extending through the hole in the projection and the hole in the shank so as to attach the spur bit to the spur body. The plate is held in position by means of a screw which passes into a second hole in the projection. Hence, the spur bit is removably attached to the spur body.
French patent application number 2,681,222 discloses the removable attachment of a spur bit to a spur body by means of a slidable arrangement. A projection of the spur bit corresponds with a projection on the spur body and is slidably contactable therewith. A corresponding hole passing through each projection allows the spur bit to be removably attached to the spur body by means of a separate screw.
An alternative spur assembly involves attachment of a spur bit directly to a receiving means in the heel of the riders shoe or boot. In this case, the spur body is effectively the receiving means of the heel of the boot or shoe. FR 2,681,222 discloses that the projection of the spur body could be located directly on the heel of the riders boot. Furthermore, U.S. Pat. No. 4,642,910 discloses a spur bit comprising a cut away section extending along the length of the shank thereof and a spring arm attached to the distal end of the cut away section and extending longitudinally therealong. The cut away section of the shank is inserted into a cavity in the heel of the riders boot or shoe and is removably held in place by means of the spring arm.
It is desirable to provide for interchangeable spur bits which can be removably attached to the same spur body. However, the prior art spur assemblies as referred to above are both complicated to manufacture and to use. It is an aim of preferred embodiments of the present invention to provide a spur assembly comprising interchangeable spur bits which is simple both to manufacture and to use.
All prior art assemblies comprise a single fixed location for attachment of the spur bit to the spur body. It is a further aim of preferred embodiments of the invention to provide a spur assembly which allows for variation in the positionings of the spur bit relative to the spur body.
According to a first aspect of the invention, there is provided a spur assembly comprising a spur body and a spur bit, wherein the spur body comprises a plurality of spur bit locations.
Suitably, a first spur bit location is spaced from a second spur bit location.
Preferably the spur body comprises a U-shaped configuration. Suitably, the spur bit locations are provided by cavities in the spur body. Such cavities are suitably located in the curved section of the spur body with openings on the exterior thereof. Advantageously, a first cavity is situated in the middle of the curved section of the U-shaped body and a second cavity is situated at a location spaced from the first cavity.
Suitably, a cover plate is associated with the spur body. The cover plate is operable to cover the vacant cavity or cavities. The cover plate is preferably slidably mounted of the spur body. Suitably, the cover plate has a ridged exterior surface to facilitate movement of the plate. Suitably, the cover plate is set into the surface of the spur body. If the cover plate comprises surface ridges and is set into the surface of the spur body, the ridges preferably protrude beyond the surface of the spur body.
Suitably, a first spur bit location is rotatably different relative to a second spur bit location position. Suitably, a spur bit comprises a shank capable of fitting in a cavity in the spur body in a plurality of rotatably different position. Suitably, the shank is of a regular shape corresponding to the cavity. Both rotatably different and spaced spur bit locations may be provided.
A second aspect of the present invention further provides a spur assembly, comprising a spur body and a spur bit, said spur body comprising a cavity in which a shank portion of said spur bit is retained, the cross-section of a portion of said shank being polygonal and corresponding to the cross-section of a corresponding portion of said cavity, said shank further comprising a groove in which an O-ring is located and said cavity further comprising a section of circular cross-section corresponding to the location of the O-ring of the shank when said shank is located in said cavity.
Preferably, the polygonal portion of the shank of the spur bit is located at the distal end of the shank. The cross section of the shank and corresponding portion of the cavity are suitably hexagonal. However, any cross-section suitable for preventing rotation of said shank within said cavity is acceptable.
The O-ring may be comprised of any suitable material such as, rubber or nylon. The O-ring when located within the groove of the shank preferably sits proud of the surrounding shank. When the shank is inserted into the cavity the compression force arising between the O-ring and the surrounding cavity wall causes the shank to be held firmly in the cavity. To increase the compression force either the depth of the groove in which the O-ring is located may be reduced or the thickness of the O-ring may be increased such that the O-ring protrudes further outside the diameter of the shank when located in the groove.
In order to facilitate insertion of the shank into the cavity, the diameter of the cavity may taper outwards slightly in the region of the exterior surface of the spur body.
To the extent that they are not mutually exclusive, the features of the first and second embodiments of the present invention may be used in combination.
It is envisaged that the cavity in which the shank of the spur bit is retained may alternatively be located within the heel of a boot or shoe worn by the rider. In this case, the spur body would be provided by the heel of the riders"" boot or shoe.